Goat Died Whilst in Care of Sitt &  Wilful Damage to Home. 
Review  covers 
 1.Calibre of sitters KHS allow.
2. Complaint process.
This is not the forum to dispute liability. However, to give an accurate picture it is necessary to document the events so that readers can form their own opinion.
If a sitter is given a warning, full disclosure needs to be given to homeowners to   enable an informed choice.
The sitter has had involvement with the police. I have urged KHS to obtain a police report. I feel that they have a moral responsibility towards their homeowners.
I  have used KHS many times with great experiences.It it is was when things went wrong, that my disillusionment began.
Their decision was to give only a warning to the sitter & to let him remain on their platform thereby exposing others to him.
Complaint Process- My concerns on the sitter are below. I was not given the opportunity to see his full response. Complaint process should allow both parties to have this opportunity.
I have no gain in lying or exaggerating. The loss of my goat was enough let alone what we found when we got home.
Conversely, the sitter has motivation in lying. He wants to stay on the platform. His reply to my email requesting he vacate was that it would leave him homeless. Obviously ,he is not going to admit to anything.
- Goat gained access to the chicken run, ate the chicken food and died. The only way this could have happened is that the sitter did not lock the 2 latches on the gate into the chicken run. He admitted to a friend that he had not done this. Sitter now argues that he was not instructed to lock both latches. No need to give instructions on this- the first rule on any rural property is leave gates as found. When I showed him the property, I took him into the run and on both entry and exit locked both latches. I did not instruct him on any other gates/ doors on the property yet he managed to lock these but for some obscure reason thought it was ok to not properly lock the gate into the chicken run.

  I did not give him an option to choose to lock it. This was negligence. Sitter has twisted this as to the instructions I gave on containing the chickens, which involves a different entrance. No previous sitters have struggled with  this basic concept.

KHS response to this was that ' while I had raised significant concerns about the sitter not following instructions ( which may have contributed to the incident which occured)……….It is indisputable, not “MAY HAVE” that the failure to lock the gate correctly is how the goat gained entry. That is exactly why we had 2 latches, to prevent the goats leaning on it and it opening. There is no other way.
-Sitter was not happy at being asked to vacate and proceeded to damage our home.
-  3 hours after vacation there was a very very strong fishy reek throughout the entire home. This was not a cooking smell. I mention time frame to confirm that it can only have been caused by the sitter.
-Friend gagged on entering our home that day. 2 other independent friends called & they both contacted me in that the smell was ' really strong and bad".
-Windows  left open for days. A commercial cleaner was called. They shut it up and deodorised it over 24 hours but could not expunge the smell totally.
Returned home 3 weeks later. Smell still present.
- LInen thrown out as  smell had permeated it. It was disgusting. Took rest to  commercial laundrette.
Washed  all the walls 2x and 80% of the ceilings.Smell still lingered.
-Pastry brush found totally coated in  thick oily fish smelling substance . A brush points to the paste being brushed around the home.
- Chopping boards, plastic & wooden utensils were disposed of as we could not get them clean.
- Contacted 3 scientific laboratories as I wanted the brush tested to determine the produce. It was nothing we had ever come across.  
Day 1 of our return, washing machine stopped.Repairer found a nail had gone through. Loose connection leaking under the sink. Plumber called. I do not believe these are ' coincidental".
- 3 pairs of  gloves slashed. In perfect condition when we left- not wear and tear. Concerning behaviour. Only sitter could have done this. Photos sent to KHS


- Home left in immaculate condition, everything was working. 
When we met the sitter, the day before departure, I told him that I was getting the house immaculate for him. He replied that he was not too bothered by this. It is our home & it is not his decision as to how it is kept. He reflected his beliefs in the state he left it.
KHS  response ' the actions you believe the sitter undertook while in your home, we dont have enough conclusive evidence to ban them from the platform at this time".
I did not dream these up.
Dead pet, failing appliances, reek through house
slashed gloves is not enough conclusive evidence??  KHS are happy to retain sitter. That alone is a huge concern


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